


Working On It

by UsatiumEdgitZouskdye



Series: Blind Phil [13]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Coffee, Donuts, M/M, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-12 23:50:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5686375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UsatiumEdgitZouskdye/pseuds/UsatiumEdgitZouskdye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint and Phil start talking about the little mute boy. Phil's going to meet him for the first time, and he's going to try to figure out more about him</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Phil. How's work been?"

"Fine. Why?"

"I just remembered that guy you said was talking about you. Then you like, frisked out and stuff."

"Oh. Yeah, he still says stuff."

"Like what?"

"Different stuff. The most recent one being, 'how does anyone go over anything with him? They could lie to him and he'd never know.' Which I don't mind him saying because it's true. I don't know. I think he thinks I don't do the same work."

"So basically he's still talking shit?"

"Yeah."

"I see. Maybe I should come by for lunch. Find thus guy. 

"Clint, no. You can come by but don't look for him or confront him unless something happens while you're there."

Clint groaned like a child that was just told they can't hang out with their friends that day. "Fine. But why does he dislike blind people so much? That's all he ever talks about. It's not you. It's because you're blind."

"I don't know. Maybe he's just a dick."

"I guess we'll see."

\--__--__--__--__--

Clint did show up for lunch. He brought Phil some coffee and some mini donuts. Phil was sitting in his lap on the couch. Happily eating the donuts and drinking coffee.

"Did you bring anything for Lucky?"

"I brought him some apple slices."

"Lucky likes apples."

"You should come to the shop tomorrow."

"Meet the kid and his parents?"

"Mhm. Be careful with him. Please."

"I will. Does he have selective mutism?"

Clint sighed. "That's one of the big problems. He doesn't talk at all. To have selective mutism he'd have to talk in some situations or a situation. But he doesn't talk at all. Nothings wrong with him medically. I told you he's just convinced himself that if he doesn't talk he won't get in trouble or hurt."

Phil leaned back into Clint's chest. "How long did it go on?"

"Uh. Hold on. It went on till March, after his third birthday. He's been in and out since then."

"So for. A year and this is the tenth month. Going on two years. By the time in he was in foster care he was already not talking."

"I heard from his current parents that he used to still make some noise. Specifically when he cried or was upset. He'd huff when he was mad or sad. And he'd make little noises when he cried. But, in the home. He always cried at night so no one would ask him about it. And the little noises would get him in trouble because it would wake up other kids. Some of the older kids would yell at him. So he completely stopped making noise."

"His parents, hit him?"

"They did what my dad did minus the cigarette burns."

"Is it possible that he could have selective mutism but he just hasn't found a situation he's comfortable with?"

"I don't know. Maybe that could happened. But I don't think that's how that works."

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

 

Phil was happy he didn't get messed with yesterday. Maybe Todd saw Clinton leaving Phil's office. Or maybe he wasn't around Phil's office yesterday. Oh well.

"Come on Lucky. Let's go eat lunch with Clint and Natasha." Phil got to the shop just fine. Remembered how to get there just fine. Clint greeted him with a quick kiss and took him somewhere.

"Raven, Henry. This is my boyfriend Phil. Phil. Raven and Henry."

Phil got a little nervous about this but it went fine. He held out his hand and the other two people shook it.

"Clint's told us a bit about you."

'A woman. Raven.' "Hopefully he told you good things."

"Nothing but."

'A man. Henry.' "He talks about you guys too. He loves when you guys come in."

They talked a little but more before Clint took Phil to a table in front of the couple. Far enough that if they talked at a normal level they wouldn't be able to hear what was being said. Clint sat with Phil after getting him a sandwich and some coffee. "Did you get talked about today?"

"No. I haven't heard him around the office. Maybe he's sick."

"Well. Just as long as he doesn't take it too far."

"I have Lucky. If he does something Lucky doesn't like there'll be noise. Where is Lucky?"

"Following Natasha who is currently playing with the mute kid."

"Oh. Can I meet him?"

"Finish eating first."

Phil ate at a moderate pace. But fast enough for him to have time to really talk to the kid. When he finished eating he let Clint know. Clint went to talk to the kid. "Hey bud."

The kid looked at him.

"Remember when you said you wanted to meet my boyfriend?"

He nodded.

"Still want to?"

Another nod.

"Come meet him then."

The kid took Clint's hand and let him lead him to a man in a suit with short brown hair and blue eyes and a small smile. He looked nice, and gentle. Kind of. Safe. Lucky and Natasha followed them and sat by Phil's feet.

"This is my boyfriend, Phil."

The kid actually hid a little bit behind Clint. He did this the first time he met Clint too. "No no no. Don't hide. But remember. Phil can't see. But he said he has has an idea of how to talk to you. So listen to him okay? I'm going to distract your parents so they don't see you sign if you do okay?"

A nod.

Clint pulled up a chair in front of Phil's to help hide the kid. "Okay. Well. Have fun." He sat with the parents. "He's meeting Phil."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. I was talking about Phil one time and he had this little look on his face. So I asked if he wanted to meet Phil. He nodded."

"That's all he does really. Make expressions and move his head."

Sometimes Clint felt bad for keeping the sign language from them. But. He's had his trust betrayed so many times, he'd never betray someone else's. Especially this kid's trust. "Well. It's something."

Phil had asked the kid to help him figure out where he was sitting and everything. "So. We can try this. I'll ask you some questions. And if the answer is yes, draw a y on the palm of my hand with your finger. If no, draw n. If it's sometimes or maybe, just draw a line. Can you do that for me?"

The kid drew the letter y.

Phil couldn't help but smile. "From what I understand. Everyone just calls you kiddo. Do you like that?"

A line was drawn.

"Would you like them to use your name sometimes?"

'Yes.'

"Well how about you spell your name on my hand."

Carefully, a nam was written on the palm of of Phil's hand.

"Thio?"

An n was drawn.

"No?"

An e was drawn on his hand. Then an i.

"Oh. Theo. But with an i."

'Yes.'

"That's a nice name. I like it. Do you like my name?"

A line.

"Sometimes? You only like my name sometimes? You just found out my name." Phil kept his tone light and playful. He didn't want the kid to think he was mad at him. He was very surprised and shocked to hear a quick little laugh. Very quiet. And it sounded like it was cut off. Thio made a noise. But Phil didn't make a big deal of it. He kept calm.

"Can I ask you something about you not talking?"

A line.

"Okay. If you don't want to answer just tap my hand. Do you ever talk?"

'Yes.'

"Oh you do? That's nice. Can I ask when?"

'Yes.'

"Oh um. Is it when you're with certain people?"

'Yes.'

"How about when you're by yourself?"

'Yes.'

"Would you talk to Clint?"

A line.

"Maybe?"

'Yes.'

"What about me? Do you think you could talk to me?"

"Yes."

 


	3. Chapter 3

It was a quiet response. Barely above a whisper. But it took Phil's breath away. A wide grin spread across his face. "You don't know how much that means to me, Thio. Thank you so much for. For trusting me and thinking I'm safe, right?"

"Yeah. I like you. So I talk to you."

The little boys voice was still really quiet. And Phil knew if he want so used to listening for small sounds, he'd of missed it. "Is that how you work? That's good. I'm glad you like me. I like you too."

They started to talk about how school was going for little Thio. Just little subjects that didn't require long answers. It was perfect that he was open to talk to Phil considering the conversation Clinton was having with his parents.

"Clint. There's something we need to tell you."

Clint stiffened a little at Raven's words. "What's wrong?"

Henry took a deep breath and looked Clint in the eyes. "We're giving him up."

There was a long pause as Clint tried to process what was said. "What?"

"We're giving him up. We can't do it anymore. He talks to himself, we've heard him. I let that go because, we thought he still wasn't talking to other people. But then we saw him talk to a friend in class, and. He was deliberately hiding it."

"We didn't, and still don't, want to think he's doing it on purpose. But after something like that. We can't help it. And we don't want to get mad at him for it. But it's starting to wear us down and we just can't do it."

"We're letting you know because you asked us to and because. We think that you are perfect for him."

Clint was letting it all sink in. "...Thank you. I don't. I don't know what to say. I'm sorry it didn't work out. But. Thank you. When is this happening?"

"When is a good time for you?"

"...I have to talk to Phil about it tonight, but we've talked about it before. I'll have an answer for you tomorrow."

"Perfect. The sooner we get him into the home he needs, the better."

"Of course."

"We should get going. Come on kiddo." Henry called to the child.

The little boy hugged Lucky and Natasha and squeezed Phil's hand. He hugged Clint's leg and took Raven's hand to leave. Clint plopped down in a seat next to Phil and dropped his head on the table. Phil ran his fingers through Clint's hair while he groaned. "What's wrong?"

Clint shook his head. "There's just. A lot we need to talk about tonight."

"Yeah there is. I have to head back. I'll see you later."

They shared a quick kiss and went their separate ways to go back to work. Clint's work had slowed down after the lunch rush, which was perfect for Clint. He was still thinking about what Raven and Henry told him. He was so distracted he was basically working on autopilot.

But Phil was going through the same thing. The kid talked to him. He actually said stuff to him. It shocked him to the core. He still didn't know how to react to it. Fury's been checking up on him every now and then. Phil didn't really know why but he didn't mind.

Fury noticed Phil was working but seemed distracted, so he asked him what was going on. Phil explained, everything. From when Clint mentioned the mute kid, to agreeing to adopt the kid if they could, to what happened that day. Thio's past. Everything. "Clint said we have a lot to talk about. So, just wondering what happened and I'm also still shaken up about Thio talking to me."

"Do you want to leave early?"

"No no. I'm good now. I think I just wanted to tell someone."

"Okay."

Fury made sure Phil was okay after that and left him to get back to work. Phil got a bit lost in his work because he was trying to distract himself. There was a huge possibility that Clint would be a little upset about Thio talking to Phil but not him.

Phil took a deep breath. 'He might be a little upset about it at first. But he'll be happy about it.'

Phil kept working until his phone rang. Lucky had fallen asleep under the desk but woke up and slipped out when he heard the phone. "Yes?"

'Want me to come pick you up?'

"Yeah. I just have to finish something up first. I'll be out in ten minutes."

'Okay. See you soon.'

Phil finished up what he needed to do and headed out. Clint got out of the car to help Phil. "Nothing to take home today?"

"No. That was what I heeded to finish up. Some last minute emails."

"Good. Because we have something serious to talk about."

"I have something to tell you too."

"When we get home you start first. My news is gonna start a discussion."

"That's fine."

There was quite a bit of traffic, especially since everyone was trying to get home from work. Clint was starting to get impatient and frustrated. He started swearing under his breath. Phil gently laid a hand on Clint's shoulder.

"Clint calm down. Road rage never really helps. Just take a deep breath okay?"

Clint took a deep breath. "Okay. Sorry."

"It's okay."

Eventually they did get home. Clint groaned loudly when they parked and slammed his door. Phil rolled his eyes and got Lucky and Natasha out of the car. "Clint. I won't tell you what I need to tell you if you don't calm down."

"I'm sorry Phil. I'm just jittery."

"Well when we get inside, you get in the shower and calm down. Then come talk to me."

"Will you shower with me?"

"Will it help calm you down."

"Yeah."

"Then let's go."

While in the shower, Clint asked Phil to wash his hair for him. Of course Phil did it because he knew it'd calm Clint down. And he needed to be calm for the talk. Clint mentioned that they'd have to bathe Natasha and Lucky sometime soon. Luckily for them, Natasha doesn't mind water. But Lucky actually wasn't crazy about baths. He liked to swim. But not baths.

After that they ate together then cuddled up on the couch. "Okay. I'll start. The boy's name is Thio. With an i."

"That's a nice name. Simple but different. Find out anything else about him?"

"Yes. His name is Thio. And he is selectively mute. He does talk. He talks when he's by himself. And when he's with a friend in school. He also. Talks to me."

"Oh yeah. How did you talk to him?"

"Well I asked him yes or no questions and he drew a y for yes, n for no,and a line for sometimes or maybe. But. You're missing the point, Clint. He talked to me."

"He talks to me too, remember?"

"Clint. Not like that. He opened his mouth. And talked to me. I asked him if he'd talk to you, he drew a line for maybe. I asked him if he'd talk to me, he said yes. Actually opened his mouth and said yes. He even laughed a little before that."

There was a long pause. Then Clint started to laugh. "Are you serious!? That's amazing."

"You're not mad?"

"No. Why would I be?"

"Well. Because. You've known him way longer than I have and he only signs to you."

"Oh no. I don't mind. He knows you can't sign, so he talks. He knows I can sign but not hear all the time, so he signs."

"So. If you tell him you don't have in your hearing aids he'll sign, but if you have them in and I'm there he'll talk?"

"Yep."

"Okay then. Oh and. Just so you know. I can sign."

"You can?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because I can't see, so it'd be pointless."

"...Oh yeah."

Phil rolled his eyes and kissed Clint's cheek. "What's your news?"

"Um. They're. They can't do it anymore. They're giving him up. They said they've heard him talk to himself and have seen him talk to a friend in class. But he doesn't talk to them. They're not saying he's doing it on purpose or blaming him. But they can't do it. They said they want us to adopt him. So they want to know when's the best time for us."

"Clint. We've talked about this already. I said I'm with you. I still am. Do you think we're ready?"

"I think so, yeah. But. It's really up to you."

"Well then if it's up to me. I guess we're going to be dads."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Phil and Clint agreed that they were in fact going to adopt Thio. They planned to meet up with Thio's current parents to ask them what they had to do to get him, they also went ahead and did some research to find out what they need.

They told Henry and Raven that they were ready and set to start the whole adoption process. They knew that this was not going to be a quick thing that'd be over and done with just like that.

This was going to take some time. But they were dead set on doing this. And they'd do all they have to do to make sure it gets done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have anything you want to suggest or think would be a good idea, let me know. As of now it's clear to see what's going to happen. Hope you're all as excited as I am


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. I don't really know anything about adoption, as you will find out after reading this chapter

Clint and Phil called Henry and Raven back to tell them not to do anything yet. They thought they were set and ready to start adopting Thio. They were wrong. They needed more time. Luckily for them, Raven and Henry hadn't even thought of doing anything yet. They agreed happily when Clint said he wanted to meet up to explain the sudden change in events.

Clint met with Raven and Henry in the shop the next day to talk about the situation with Thio. "So. What happened, it's not a good time right now?"

"Well. No. Not right now. Without a doubt, we want to adopt him. We just. Me and Phil need to figure out what we need to do first to make sure that we get just him. We want. Thio. And we want to figure out and do this together. Getting set up for it is one thing. But making sure we get him the fastest and most solid way possible is another thing."

Raven and Henry nodded and let Clint continue talking. They wanted him to let it all out.

"He and I need to figure out how to do this. We know the basic stuff of the adoption process. But. We don't know how to make sure we only get him. We don't want to get into this and end up with another child or getting multiple children over time. I don't mean to be an ass. But it's really just him that we want. And we don't know how to go about that. We don't know if we can privately adopt him with you guys, get a license to adopt specifically just him, if fictive kinship would apply considering we have a relationship with the child. Like. We just, don't know right now."

They could tell that this was really bothering Clint and stressing him out. Henry decided to take some stress off of Clint. "Take your time. We may be upset with trying to deal with Thio sometimes. But we still want what's best for him. And what's best for him is you."

Then Raven jumped in. "We want him to be with you and Phil. We saw him talk to Phil. He needs you guys. It's not like we're absolutely just done with him. We can still work with him and keep him, but it's not for us."

"We thought about it. And for the sake of keeping him out of an adoption center, we can happily keep him with us and ignore our frustrations for his sake. Because he's a sweet boy and he doesn't mean it."

"But we know that he'd be better with you and Phil. Which is why we told you we can't do it anymore. We really meant that we can't keep him from a better place and home anymore."

"We've tried with him. And he just can't do it. We can't hold that against him, he's a child. But with you. It'd be a dream come true for him. A home where he's completely understood and comfortable."

Clint let out a deep breath. He ran his hand over his face and through his hair. "We thought we were set when we called you guys. But then we found more possibilities that would make this easier and we don't know what would apply for us, or what we could do."

Raven smiled. "No it's fine. Like I said. It's not like we've reached a breaking point where we can't even tolerate him anymore. We can work with him until you're ready. And if you decide you can't do it at all. Then we'll give Thio the best life we can."

Clint dropped his head in his hands and let out a sigh. Thinking about it now, they really didn't know anything except the basic process. They'd jumped into this a little too fast without really knowing anything. They thought they were ready.

But they weren't.

They had to figure out what was the easiest way to do this. For Thio. The faster he could be placed with Phil and Clint, the better.

So they had to figure this out.

They're working on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah! Cheesy title ending!
> 
> I need your help guys. Just like Phil and Clint, I don't know. The whole fictive kinship, the license with just Thio. I don't know and I need your help to figure it out. Please! I'm begging you guys!
> 
> [Insert Lucky and Natasha doing puppy dog eyes]


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp. Here's the last chapter

It took a little time. But they got to the point where they could adopt just Thio. It did in fact help that they had a relationship with Thio and the whole talking thing. It couldn't be denied that Thio was comfortable around them and it would be best for him emotionally.

The longest thing was going to be the homestudy. But as soon as they were informed about it. Clint and Phil immediately sent out the papers the agency needed. They just had to focus on paperwork now. Phil finished his paperwork fast enough to help Clint with his and then double check everything every time they got paperwork to do. Regardless of the speed. It was still going to take about two months to finish the homestudy.

A bit of an upside for them. People seemed to steer away from Thio. Not wanting to deal with his problem at all. That, the relationship, and the fact that Thio talks to them helped the most. And apparently, Raven and Henry mentioned them.

After this homestudy was done in a couple months. They'd have to go through training classes of course. But after that was finished they could start the visits. The visits were just to see how Thio and Phil and Clint got along. Which would be fine. But then they had to think about the possibility that Thio might not be comfortable actually inside the new possible home.

Hopefully Thio would be more focused on the fact that Phil, Clint, Lucky, and Natasha made him comfortable rather than being in a new place he's never seen before.

The biggest obstacle was this homestudy. They weren't going to give up or take a break from it at all though. It was annoying and a little stressful. But that's why Clint got Natasha, and Lucky was good at helping to calm them down too. Thinking about Thio was the biggest motivation.

It'd take a while. But they'd keep working on it till they got through it. And they'd keep working on it until they got him.

For Thio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that I'm going to end this fic here and have the series continue in like normal and they'll be working on adopting Thio kind of behind the scenes. Every now and again I'll mention how it's going, like they'll talk about it a little bit, but won't get in depth about it. And in, March, the visits will start.
> 
> I might change that though, might do a time skip. But. I don't know yet. Let me know what you guys want or think I should do.
> 
> Should I keep it somewhat real time and start the visits in March, or should I do a bit of a time skip and then continue on with real time?

**Author's Note:**

> Any comments appreciated


End file.
